It’s always a bone of contention between comic fans of just who is the equivalent of who between Marvel and DC some are fairly no-brainers like Thanos/Darkseid or Namor/Aquaman. On the other hand some dark are harder to nail down like The Punisher, Sure Batman is fairly dark and becomes a vigilante through grief but aside from that is pretty much the polar opposite and there are other vaguely similar characters but none you can draw that strong a parallel with.
However in the 1987 a character debuted who was similar as in Militaristic, takes to vigilantism after losing a loved one and protects himself behind a simple yet oh so bad ass chest symbol symbol. But as with many of the subjects of these articles didn’t quite rise to the potential they could have and that character is of course Wild Dog.
Week 9: Wild Dog, a ruff draft
Who were they?: Wild Dog first debuted in a titular four part mini series, I remember it as one of my earliest comic buys from a pull box in a random antique store which no longer exists along with some JLI’s for bargain bin prices but thems the staple diet of a starting reader. The basic crux of the series is a vigilante takes on violent threats in his home of the Quad Cities (a cluster of cities spread between Iowa and Illinois) such as terrorism or what counted as terrorism in the 80’s with a hail of bullets.
Over the course of the series the identity of Wild Dog is left for you to guess with the possible list including: a reporter (Lou Godder), a cop (Lt. Andy Flint ), a government agent (Graham Gault) and a mechanic (Jack Wheeler). Now I wont spoil this almost 30 year old forgotten title but consider the jobs given which one is particularly non-standard as a comic book characters job?
All four of the men share the connection of playing for the red dogs college football team hence the insignia as it is Wild Dogs old jersey which despite being rather loud for stealthy work draws your fire and also conceals body armor (that old chestnut). The main motivation behind him adopting the identity is that his gal is whacked by the mob and his unit in the Marines had also previously been wiped out, which not only drives him to seeking violent retribution but also means he has the training to carry it out which is why the character is seen as similar to The Punisher via Casey Jones’s tailor.
After the cat was let out the bag in issue four the character then featured in several issues of Action comics when it went weekly in the 80’s and featured less around Superman and more the likes of Green Lantern and characters who didn’t have ongoing series’s so it was clear that DC had higher hopes that the character would stay around. But then he fell of the face of the planet until the late 90’s when he popped up in an issue of Lobo.
What have they done recently?: Wild Dog’s most recent appearance was VERY briefly during Infinite Crisis as the Secret Society attack Metropolis we see Wild Dog is one of those pictured in a single panel, hardly a starring role but at least it reminds us he is still very much in canon. Then he featured as an alternate universe in Booster Gold where he is one of the few heroes (all be it of the anti variety) still alive after max Lord wipes them out but then uses his powers to make Wild Dog shoot hiss head off with two guns. But interestingly look at the common thread between these issues and that is, Goeff Johns.
What can we expect next?: Nothing solid or hopeful of a return but clearly he is a guy that is on Goeff Johns radar which for forgotten or not greatly remembered characters, well it almost goes with saying that it injects new life and interest into the character. I mean hell if Vibe who is probably one of the least regarded of the least regard Justice League runs [Detroit years] can be brought back into the fold there is no reason this wouldn’t work. Plus there are many possibilities for what you could do with Wild Dog imagine the bullets flying as Wild Dog tears it up with Batman or you could play him for laughs to downplay the similarity to Punisher. But Infinite Crisis and Booster Gold were several years ago now and Goeff Johns is a busy guy so probably isn’t his top priority.
That wraps up this weeks where are they now, Wild Dog is worth the read so give it a hunt on Ebay or Amazon
The writer of this piece was: 
Gary Kane aka (GK)
Article: Where are They Now (Prev: Under The Influence)
GK tweets from @Kanoclassic
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